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The World Meteorological Organisation said its next conference would urge scientists to improve seasonal climate predictions to adapt better to climate change.

The plans for the 2009 World Climate Conference were announced as more than 20 organisations, including United Nations agencies, wrapped up a three-day meeting in Geneva to prepare for the gathering at the end of August or early September next year.

"There has been too little global investment in the science that underpins seasonal climate prediction," WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said in a statement.

"The World Climate Conference is looking at the future, at what type of science is needed over the next 10 years to provide the type of seasonal predictions that can save people’s lives and livelihoods," he added.

Comprehensive climate information can be used to help manage climate risks, including extreme weather events, heat waves, flooding, droughts and cyclones, the WMO said.

It will also help communities adapt to the adverse affects of climate change such as rising sea levels, water and food shortages, and desertification.

The first World Climate Conference, held in 1979, led to the 1988 establishment of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.